Amazon’s Wheel of Time show will apparently change, speed up, or delay introductions for several of the key characters from the book series. While the Wheel of Time trailer is indicative of an accurate portrayal of Robert Jordan's world, it seems that how some of the characters join the fold will be a bit different from what’s expected. The trailer for the upcoming first season of the Amazon series has provided previews of several Wheel of Time characters and their respective stories.
Already, the show is teasing Mat (Barney Harris) finding the ruby-hilted dagger, Rand (Josha Stradowski) having a romance with Egwene (Zoe Robbins), Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) using the One Power, and Lan (Daniel Henney) taking part in the action. While numerous characters were indeed on hand, only a fraction of the enormous, ensemble cast from the books were on display.
Certain absences can simply be explained by the fact that some characters aren’t supposed to show up until the adventure has already progressed. However, there are a few missing characters who are connected to the beginning of the story in the books, such as Thom Merrelin (Alexandre Willaume), Loial (Hammed Animashaun), and Padan Fain (Johann Meyers). Why their omissions from the trailer don’t prove they won’t be around in the first few episodes, comments from showrunner Rafe Judkins have confirmed characters like Thom will have delayed introductions.
According to Judkins, he doesn’t want to debut a Wheel of Time character with just a few lines, and then have them “disappear for seasons”. So to deliver a “proper introduction” for a key player, Judkins has decided to bring them onboard only when the show has time to really dive into them. Judkins used Thom as an example of this approach, which makes a lot of sense for not only him but for several others too. Normally, one might think Thom should appear right away, especially since the gleeman arrived in Emond’s Field in chapter 1 of the first novel, The Eye of the World. However, it took a few chapters for him to associate himself with the main characters and get involved with the story. So Wheel of Time may just hold him back until it reaches that point.
This could have a big impact on how Wheel of Time adapts the books. A lot of the characters in Robert Jordan’s novels tend to be introduced early on, disappear, and then come back a few sequels later. The problem with this approach is that they’re often forgotten by readers by the time they make their second appearance. So changing up the timing of introductions and how they meet Rand and company could very well be the best way of solving this issue. Among those who may be affected by this aside from Thom are Alanna (Priyanka Rose) and Logain (Álvaro Morte). If Wheel Of Time were to strictly follow the books, Logain wouldn’t get much more than a cameo in season 1, while Alanna likely wouldn’t arrive until at least season 2, since she wasn’t introduced until the second book, The Great Hunt. Instead, it looks like both will be major characters right off the bat.